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C++ Garbage Collector

This project implements a custom garbage collector in C++ with a focus on memory management and automatic object lifetime management. The garbage collector is designed to work with a MemoryPool and supports custom marking strategies using the Strategy pattern.

Features

  • Memory Pool Management: Efficient memory allocation and deallocation using a custom memory pool.
  • Garbage Collection: Automatic garbage collection with support for custom marking strategies.
  • Reference Counting: Automatic management of object lifetimes through reference counting.
  • Thread Safety: All memory and garbage collection operations are thread-safe.

Components

1. MemoryPool

A memory pool class that handles the allocation and deallocation of fixed-size memory blocks. The pool is thread-safe and designed to work efficiently with the garbage collector.

2. GCObject

A base class for objects that can be garbage collected. It provides the necessary interface for marking objects and supports thread-safe operations.

3. GCPointer

A smart pointer class that manages the lifetime of GCObject instances. It automatically registers and unregisters objects with the GarbageCollector.

4. GarbageCollector

The main garbage collector class that handles the marking and sweeping of objects. It supports custom marking strategies, allowing for flexible garbage collection behavior.

5. ObjectFactory

A factory class that manages the creation and destruction of GCObject instances using a custom memory manager.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • C++17 or later
  • CMake
  • A C++ compiler (e.g., GCC, Clang, MSVC)

Building the Project

  1. Clone the repository:

    git clone https://github.com/yourusername/garbage-collector.git
cd garbage-collector

  2. Create a build directory and navigate to it:

    mkdir build
cd build

  3. Run CMake to configure the project:

    cmake ..

  4. Build the project using Make or your preferred build tool:

    make

  5. Run the executable:

    ./garbage_collector

Example Usage

The main.cpp file provides an example of how to use the garbage collector with a custom marking strategy. The example creates several objects, applies a custom marking strategy, and then triggers garbage collection.

#include "MemoryPool.hpp"
#include "ObjectFactory.hpp"
#include "GCPointer.hpp"
#include "GarbageCollector.hpp"

int main() {
    // Memory pool and object factory setup
    MemoryPool pool(sizeof(TestObject), 10);
    ObjectFactory factory(&pool);

    // Create objects and use GCPointer to manage them
    GCPointer<TestObject> ptr1(factory.createObject<TestObject>(42));
    GCPointer<TestObject> ptr2(factory.createObject<TestObject>(84));
    GCPointer<TestObject> ptr3(factory.createObject<TestObject>(15));

    // Custom marking strategy: Mark only objects with even values
    auto evenMarkingStrategy = [](GCObject* object) {
        TestObject* testObj = dynamic_cast<TestObject*>(object);
        if (testObj && (testObj->getValue() % 2 == 0)) {
            testObj->mark();
        }
    };

    GarbageCollector::getInstance().setMarkingStrategy(evenMarkingStrategy);

    // Trigger garbage collection
    GarbageCollector::getInstance().collect();

    return 0;
}

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository and submit a pull request for any improvements or bug fixes.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.